13Montreal, August 13, 2015 – The Montreal SPCA is announcing the launch of its new campaign “Downtown Montreal is No Place for Horses” – which aims to raise awareness about the inherent suffering of carriage horses in Montreal and seeks to implement a phase out of the industry in our city. This Saturday, the City of Montreal will be celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Canadian horse and the use of carriage horses throughout those years, by parading nearly 30 carriage horses through the borough of Sud-Ouest in Montreal. The Montreal SPCA believes that this is the opportune time for our city to make the use of carriage horses a thing of the past and to phase-out this obsolete industry.

The Montreal SPCA is extremely concerned about the welfare and safety of carriage horses in Montreal. In fact, we strongly condemn the use of carriages horses in urban environments. Carriage horses in Montreal are often forced to work 9 or more hours per day 7 days a week, are subject to potential collisions with traffic, loud noises that can cause “spooking” (which can also endanger humans), extreme temperatures and years of walking on unnaturally hard surfaces which often causes lameness. Not to mention that the majority of the horses, when they are not working, are tied in filthy stalls where they have no opportunity to move around freely or engage in any other natural behaviors and that most of the horses when they can no longer be used to pull carriages, unless a horse rescue group is able to intervene, will be sent to auction where they are likely to be purchased by a “kill buyer” and sent to slaughter.

“While the city has ordered a report on the health status of the carriage horses in Montreal, which concludes that the practice of using carriage horses in Montreal does not rise to the level of animal cruelty, the Montreal SPCA maintains that the use of carriage horses in Montreal causes immense suffering to these horses.”  said Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “The use of carriage horses in the city does not ensure for the basic welfare needs of these horses, as defined by the fundamental concept of the 5 freedoms, which include freedom to engage in natural behaviors – such as spending time in a pasture and socializing with other horses, and freedom from fear and mental distress – which horses are forced to endure when working in loud, congested, traffic and construction filled streets”.

It is important to point out that the report commissioned by the city also mentioned that in 2012, when the city of Montreal began implementing inspections of the horses, that the horses were in poor condition and some suffered from recurring wounds and breathing problems. Further, incidents involving carriage horses urban environments continue to occur on a regular basis, with the latest accident happening last week in Quebec City, when a carriage horse collapsed from exhaustion. In fact, every year we hear about many incidences involving carriage horses in Montreal – and this summer is definitely no exception. On July 14^th, a carriage horse slipped and fell on the corner of Notre-Dame West and Peel, and on July 29^th, when the temperature (including the humidex factor) was well over 30 degrees, at least five horses were forced to work in Old Montreal in the extreme heat.

“The Montreal SPCA has been speaking out on behalf of the welfare of horses since 1869 and we will continue to encourage the city of Montreal to phase out this inhumane, unsafe and unnecessary industry in our city, and we invite the citizens of Montreal to join our campaign” said Nicholas Gilman, Executive Director of the Montreal SPCA. “Horse-drawn carriages are not a charming way for tourists to discover old Montreal – they are a subsidized form of animal cruelty, attracting negative reviews regarding our beautiful city.”

Many world-class cities, such as London, Paris, Beijing, and Toronto, have already banned horse-drawn carriages. The Montreal SPCA believes it is time for Montreal to follow suit by phasing-out this antiquated, inhumane, and unsafe industry.

Please join our campaign, and help us to an end to the suffering of carriage horses in Montreal by clicking here:

• Sign and share our petition to implement a phase out of the carriage horse industry in Montreal;
• Pledge to boycott the carriage horse industry. Share this flyer on social media sites using the #stopcaleches hashtag;
• Help us spread our message by printing and sharing this pamphlet;
• Express your concerns about the welfare and working conditions of Montreal carriage horses by writing to Denis Coderre, Mayor of the City of Montreal, and politely ask that the city of Montreal phase out carriage horses.

Together, let’s put an end to end to this cruel and outdated industry. Join us!

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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514-226-3932, or anitak@spca.com.

About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first humane society in Canada and our mission is to:

• protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
• represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
• raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.

For many years, the Montreal SPCA has been working hard with municipal, provincial and federal governments to improve animal protection laws. In 2014, our inspection service investigated 1,217 new complaints and conducted the inspection of 3,012 animals, all species combined. A total of 101 animals were seized as a result of these investigations and several criminal and penal charges were laid.

For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com